Sumter County, South Carolina Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sumter County
U.S. county
Sumter County Courthouse, Sumter
Location within the U.S. state of South Carolina
South Carolina's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Founded	1800
Named for	Thomas Sumter
Seat	Sumter
Largest city	Sumter
Area
• Total	682 sq mi (1,770 km²)
• Land	665 sq mi (1,720 km²)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km²) 2.5%%
Population (2010)
• Total	107,456
• Estimate (2020)	107,033
• Density	157.56/sq mi (60.83/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	5th, 6th

Sumter County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,456. In a 2018 census estimate, the population was 106,512. Its county seat is Sumter.

Sumter County comprises the Sumter, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area, which, combined with neighboring Lee and Clarendon counties, formed the Sumter-Bishopville-Manning Combined Statistical Area, otherwise known as the "East Midlands" area.

It is the home of Shaw AFB, headquarters to the 9th Air Force, AFCENT, United States Army Central, with a number of other tenant units. It is one of largest bases in the USAF's Air Combat Command.

Geography
- Adjacent counties
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Communities
Notable people
See also

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 682 square miles (1,770 km²), of which 665 square miles (1,720 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (2.5%) is water. It is drained by the Black River and its tributaries. Its western border is formed by the Wateree River. One of South Carolina's most famous areas are the High Hills of Santee comprising the western part of the county.The county is one of five that borders Lake Marion, also known as South Carolina's "Inland Sea."

Adjacent counties

Lee County - north
Florence County - northeast
Clarendon County - south
Calhoun County - southwest
Richland County - west
Kershaw County - northwest

Demographics

Statue of Thomas Sumter on the courthouse lawn in Sumter

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	3,571	—
1810	19,054	433.6%
1820	25,269	32.6%
1830	28,277	11.9%
1840	27,892	−1.4%
1850	33,220	19.1%
1860	23,859	−28.2%
1870	25,268	5.9%
1880	37,037	46.6%
1890	43,605	17.7%
1900	51,237	17.5%
1910	38,472	−24.9%
1920	43,040	11.9%
1930	45,902	6.6%
1940	52,463	14.3%
1950	57,634	9.9%
1960	74,941	30.0%
1970	79,425	6.0%
1980	88,243	11.1%
1990	102,637	16.3%
2000	104,646	2.0%
2010	107,456	2.7%
2020 (est.)	107,033	−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

Sumter County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White	46,442	44.0%
Black or African American	48,536	45.98%
Native American	338	0.32%
Asian	1,400	1.33%
Pacific Islander	87	0.08%
Other/Mixed	4,451	4.22%
Hispanic or Latino	4,302	4.08%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 105,556 people, 44,105 households, and 29,777 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 107,456 people, 40,398 households, and 28,311 families residing in the county. The population density was 161.6 inhabitants per square mile (62.4/km²). There were 46,011 housing units at an average density of 69.2 per square mile (26.7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 48.2% white, 46.9% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 7.2% were Subsaharan African, 6.9% were American, 6.1% were English, 5.9% were German, and 5.7% were Irish.

Of the 40,398 households, 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 35.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,137 and the median income for a family was $45,460. Males had a median income of $36,101 versus $28,421 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,944. About 15.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.1% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Sumter (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

Ray Allen, professional NBA basketball player is from Dalzell. 2× NBA champion. 10× All-Star.
Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard H. Anderson of the American Civil War.
Joseph (Jusef Ben Ali) Benenhaley (1753-1823) was the progenitor of the Turkish Community of Sumter County, a singular people-of-color ethnic group living mostly in Dalzell in the 1900s & with worship centered at Long Branch Baptist Church since 1904 & burials in its cemetery.
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), civil rights activist, feminist, stateswoman, educator, founder of the National Council for Negro Women, born to parents who had been enslaved
David DuBose Gaillard of Fulton Crossroads was in charge of the building of the central portion of the Panama Canal.
Angelica Singleton Van Buren, U. S. president's daughter-in-law and from Wedgefield.
Richard Irvine Manning I, 50th Governor of South Carolina.
Richard Irvine Manning III, 92nd Governor of South Carolina.
George L. Mabry, Jr., Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and highly decorated soldier of WWII; a Major General.
Sloman Moody, born in Horatio.
Bill Pinkney of The Drifters was born in Dalzell.
Ja Morant, professional basketball player, was the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Sumter County, South Carolina facts for kids

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